Are you a Teams user looking to set up a professional and unified conference room, huddle space, or boardroom? Microsoft Teams Rooms enables more sophisticated meeting experiences with certified hardware like cameras, microphones, speakers, and touch consoles. These setups offer seamless interactivity, improved security, and better integration with the Microsoft ecosystem.

Perhaps the best part is that you can use the Basic version of Microsoft Teams Rooms for free. However, to access more advanced features, you'll need to pay for the Pro version. So, what would you be missing if you decide to stick with Microsoft Teams Basic? In this guide, we'll compare the features of the Basic and Pro versions of Microsoft Teams Rooms to help you make an informed decision.

Microsoft Teams Rooms: Basic vs. Pro Features

Globally, over 70% of Fortune 500 companies use Microsoft Teams Rooms, with more than 1 million Teams Rooms recorded by Microsoft. Naturally, bigger companies tend to opt for the Pro version, while startups and small businesses usually prefer the Basic version.

Let's look at what each version offers.

Microsoft Teams Rooms Basic

Microsoft Teams Rooms Basic (MTR Basic) is a free license offered by Microsoft that grants organisations access to basic meeting room functionality.

Here are its key features:

Core Meeting Features

Microsoft Teams Rooms Basic allows users to join Teams Meeting with a single touch as long as the device is supported. Admin teams can start instant meetings or schedule meetings through Microsoft Teams and Outlook calendar integration. Additionally, it enables one-touch join for third-party meetings with configured devices.

Device Support

To use Microsoft Teams Rooms Basic, you’ll need a Team-certified device such as those from Logitech, Poly, Yealink, Creston, or HP. However, MTR Basic only allows up to 25 meeting room devices per tenant to be licensed at a time.

Audio and Video Features

Microsoft Teams Basic provides high-quality audio and video conferencing through supported hardware. It also supports dual-screen displays. In addition, content sharing can be achieved wirelessly or through HDMI.

People Count and Room Metrics

With supported hardware, Teams Rooms Basic enables people counting for room utilisation reporting. It also provides basic analytics through the Teams Admin Centre (TAC) for the licensed rooms.

Device Management

MTR Basic offers the following basic management features in the Teams Admin Centre (TAC) to enable IT admins keep track of and maintain Teams Rooms devices:

• Device inventory: This shows a list of all Teams Rooms devices that are active in your organisation, including key info like device location, model, and current status.
• Real-time health monitoring: This provides live updates on the status of each device, including if a device is online, offline, or having issues.
• Remote restart and firmware update: This feature allows IT admins to restart a device remotely and push firmware updates, keeping devices secure and up to date.
• Peripheral status monitoring: This allows you to track the status of connected peripherals (like cameras, mics, and speakers), ensuring they’re working before a meeting starts.

Security and Compliance Features

Microsoft Teams Rooms Basic provides organisations with a secure, controlled, and compliant Teams Rooms environment. 

These security features include:

• Conditional Access support: This prevents unauthorised access to Teams services by allowing organisations apply specific security policies to Teams devices. For example, you can require that only participants from a specific location can join the meeting.

• Secure sign-in with device-specific accounts: Here, each room uses a dedicated resource account instead of a personal user account. These accounts are designed with limited permissions to reduce the risk of security breaches or misconfiguration.

• Tenant-level control over access and configurations: MTR Basic allows admins to centrally manage settings for all Teams Rooms devices from the tenant level to ensure a seamless and secure setup across all rooms.

Limitations of Microsoft Teams Rooms Basic

Although Microsoft Teams Rooms Basic has several decent features for Teams Rooms deployment, it falls short in some areas. 

Here are the cons of MTR Basic:

• Limited maximum number of licensed devices (25 per tenant)
• Basic custom room configuration and analytics
• Enhanced support for Zoom, Webex, and other third-party meeting platforms may not be readily accessible
• Advanced AI features not readily available 
• Limited Front Row layout and support for for Surface Hub and Teams Panels
• No support for watermarking or end-to-end encryption

Microsoft Teams Rooms Pro

Microsoft Teams Rooms Pro (MTR Pro) generally offers all the features of the Basic version, along with more advanced meeting functions, AI assistants, integrations, and enterprise-grade management and security tools. Notably, it has no device count limitation, unlike the 25-device cap on the Basic plan.

Let's breakdown its perks:

Advanced Meeting Features

MTR Pro enables organisations to enjoy high-quality meeting experiences with features such as:

• Front Row layout: This professional, inclusive layout places the speaker or meeting host on the center of the screen while the remote participants appear at the bottom of the screen, mimicking an in-room presence.

• IntelliFrame: IntelliFrame uses AI technology to frame individuals in the room more clearly, ideal for remote and hybrid meetings.

• Speaker recognition: With compatible hardware, MTR Pro can detect and label in-room participants’ speech in the transcript.

• Multi-camera support: This feature allows switching between multiple camera angles for better views.

• Coordinated join: This enables users to employ multiple devices in the same room (e.g a Teams Rooms system and a Surface Hub) for seamless connectivity.

Interoperability and Cross-platform Support

Unlike the basic version, MTR Pro supports native join experience for Zoom, Webex, and other meeting platforms via Direct Guest Join. It also provides enhanced support for Cloud Video Interop (CVI) with third-party conferencing systems, such as Cisco and Poly. Similarly, organisations can host and join meetings on other platforms without leaving the Teams Interface.

Enhanced Audio and Video

The Pro license offers noise suppression with AI to filter out background noise like typing or fans. It also supports beamforming microphone and intelligent speaker, which amplifies the speaker’s voice. On top of that, it provides camera and mic auto-mute detection and recovery.

Advanced Device Management

To enable IT admins manage Teams Rooms and third-party devices efficiently, MTR Pro offers:

• Proactive monitoring and alerts for issues even before users report them.
• Detailed telemetry and reporting on device usage and room health.
• Remote configuration and policy management.
• Integration with Microsoft Intune and other Microsoft Endpoint Manager tools.
• Granular device settings and role-based access control (RBAC).

Security and Compliance Features

The Pro license provides ironclad security and compliance tools, including:

• End-to-end encryption (E2EE) support for one-on-one Teams meetings.
• Watermarking for Teams Premium Meetings.
• Conditional Access, Multi-factor authentication, and secure room accounts.
• Advanced audit logging and data protection compliant with Microsoft 365.

Easier Scheduling and Room Management

MTR Pro supports Microsoft Teams Panels (room availability displays) and Room Remote Control via Teams mobile app. It also provides room capacity alerts and custom room naming, tags, and locations in TAC for easier management. Additionally, it integrates with Microsoft Places, a futuristic hybrid work location platform.

Reliable Service and Support

Microsoft Teams Rooms Pro provides enterprise-grade support with expedited response and SLA-backed service reliability. Organisations with a paid license are also eligible for Microsoft Premier or Unified Support plans.

How Much Is Microsoft Teams Rooms Pro?

As of 2025, Microsoft Teams Rooms Pro costs £30.80 ($40) for a room per month, paid yearly. Note that this price doesn't include VAT. Users (organisations) must be assigned to a resource account tied to a meeting room.

Here are 10 Tools You're Paying for in Microsoft 365 But Aren't Using.

Summary Table

Bottom Line

Which Teams Rooms license should you choose—Basic or Pro? Your choice of plan should depend on the size of your organisation and your budget. The basic version is suitable for small organisations or teams with limited meeting room setups (1-25 rooms). Meanwhile, it's better to opt for the paid license if you have an enterprise-level organisation with multiple meeting rooms and require a high-quality hybrid meeting experience.

‍